Crusaders of Retribution
The Crusaders of Retribution are a loyalist Space Marine Chapter created from White Scars gene stock during the fourth founding. They were called for creation after the Beast's great WAAAGH as a chapter to exterminate nearby Ork settlements and tribes before they can merge into full blown WAAAGHs. Keeping the Ork population under control in the Segmentum Ultima. History Founding in the 32nd millennium After the Beast's great WAAAGH that lead to holy Terra's siege the thought of a Space Marine chapter being created to root out Ork infestations were drawn up. These plans were put into motion when Maximus Thane declared the fourth founding and the production on the Crusader's armor, weapons, and vehicles began. After their gene stock had been made and the recruits trained and turned into full blown Space Marines the Crusaders needed someone to lead them. Their parent chapter the White Scars assigned Captain of their third company Grivnan Windrider as their first chapter master to organize the chapter and lead them to victory. After a moment he renamed himself as Lord Father Windrider to guide his sons through their first steps. Earning their Place 123.M33-125.M33 As soon as the chapter was ready to launch the Crusaders would quickly be called into action. On a nearby planet named Arcite a fledgling boss by the name of 'Uge Hammersmash had been slowly gathering tribes and ships to launch into space. Nearby Arcite was a hive world and a forge world. Losing either would result in a massive loss of life or a irreplaceable forge world. The second, third, and fourth companies lead by their new chapter master were quickly launched to assassinate the Ork boss. The Cutting of the Angel's Wings [ < Unknown > ] Though the exact dates over which the conflict spanned are unknown, the two things that are known are the year 937.M32 was contained within the campaign since it was the year that Rayas Kourtis was killed and that the conflict ended before 939.M32. During this conflict, the Chapter engaged a WAAAGH! The details pertaining to this WAAAGH! have almost all been lost, with a very small set of details such as the identity of the Warboss - Sarkanz - are still known. Everything else that was once known is now referred to as The Lost Knowledge. The Lost Knowledge The Crusaders were called upon by to help reinforce the Winged Knights. Allies with a bond forged over loss, victories, and a shared hatred of Ork kind the Crusaders were more than willing to help their old friends hunt down Warboss Sarkanz and finish the WAAAGH that had tormented worlds in their shared sectors. The Crusaders began to ready themselves to help Lord Cammander Rayas with an insertion onto Orthanza's surface to help finally kill the warboss. With the plan that the rest of the Crusaders and Winged Knights would drop in to help support the insertion squad once they made contact with the warboss. The Crusader's mighty fleet would help police the planet to help prevent Sarkanz from escaping. Shortly after the Winged Knights deployed a huge Ork fleet arrived out of the warp. The Crusades began to engage immediately while receiving messages that the insertion had been foreseen. Rayas and the troops that had deployed with him were being overrun. The Crusaders attempted to launch a rescue mission but Ork looters and boarders prevented them from deploying in mass to support the Winged Knights. After hours of harsh fighting the Crusaders managed to finally destroy most of the Ork fleet which allowed them to finally deploy to the planet. They deployed in mass and fought through wave after wave of Orks. Despite their fierce fighting by the time they reached the remaining Knights it was too late. Rayas and a majority of the Knights who had deployed with him had been slain. The Crusaders had failed in their rescue and recovery mission. The Crusaders deployed their apothecaries and helped the Knights recover gene seed and what relics they could. Their efforts were in vain ultimately and they helped the Knight's recover very little of what they were looking for. Lord Father Windrider offered any support they needed in helping to rebuild the part of the chapter that had been lost and gave the new Lord Commander his personal power sword, Retribution's Harmony. After this the two chapters went their separate ways to find recruits and continue to patrol their respective areas. This would not be the last time the two chapters fought in combat together. Forged in Fire [ 222.M34 -- 226.M34 ] In 220.M34, the Forge World < Insert Name > was attacked by an Ork WAAAGH! making it's way through the western reaches of the Segmentum Ultima looking to expand west. Called to defend the Forge World, the Crusaders of Retribution responded by deploying their second, third, fourth, and fifth companies to deal with the threat. The Orks having overrun most of the forge world the Crusaders concentrated their efforts on the forge world's capital. If it fell then there was no hope for the planet to be recovered without increased forces and even more extensive casualties. For nearly a week of continual fighting the Crusaders took heavy casualties. Losing close to a fourth of their marines in an attempt to hold the capital city. In a desperate plea the Crusaders sent distress signals out on a ll mechanical and astropathic ways. The first force to answer were the Winged Knights; the Crusader's previous allies in the Cutting of the Angel's Wings conflict. They were three days out from the forge world and had rallied several Imperial Guard regiments and a Titan legion. The Crusaders rallied their remaining marines and guardsmen to man the walls. This would be the moment that held the forge world or broke the still young Astartes' chapter. For three days the Crusaders took minimal losses. The thoughts of their brothers in arms the Winged Knights coming to help them save the day made them fight with a renewed vigor. The Crusaders slaughtered tens of thousands of Orks until the bodies formed great piles of meat and bone outside the Forge Capital's mighty walls. The third day would be the day the Crusaders almost lost the walls. The Warboss leading the WAAAGH had grown tired of not getting close to the action so he called upon every last squiggoth and piece of armor he had to breach the walls. The Crusaders had begun to run low on ammunition despite the forge world pumping as many bullets as they could make to resupply the marines and guardsmen holding the walls. The squiggoths would drain their remaining ammunition to near depletion. When things looked bleakest a marine looked at the sky and for the first time in nearly two weeks let out a cry of victory. From the sky came a swarm of drop pods came crashing into the capital city. Winged Knights came charging to the walls to help turn the tides against the Orks as tanks, boyz, and anything green began to fall under the might of bolter shells, lascannons, and plasma fire soaring from the walls. The Orks issued a full retreat to lick their wounds and regroup. Windrider for a moment was overjoyed to have his old allies at his back. Windrinder and the Lord Commander of the Winged Knights quickly began to plot out their plan to scourge the Orks from the face of the Forge World. It would be a difficult task as the Orks had heavily dug into the other cities they had taken and had countless more forces populating the planet. Culture The Crusaders have a very familial culture in their chapter. While every Space Marine chapter calls the other members brother few chapters hold the word to the same meaning as the Crusaders. From the time the Crusaders start training as scouts they are paired with a battle brother. The two sleep, bathe, eat, and train together at all points through the day until they can work together in tandem. Once they are perfectly in sync the scouts are assigned new battle brothers and go through the same process all over again. These sessions help build a trust unfound in other chapters as each marine fluidly sync with each other on and off the battlefield. Gallery File:CoR_SP_2.jpg|Crusaders of Retribution veteran's armorial CoR Veteran_Mk II.png|A Crusaders of Retribution Sternguard Veteran of the elite 1st Company, wearing archaic, ceremonial Mark II battle-plate Category:Crixus Kyner Category:Imperium Category:Space Marine Chapters Category:Space Marines Category:White Scars Successors Category:4th Founding